Daydream Believer
by tlh45
Summary: Mac and Jo investigate the murder of a young man who was brutally assaulted and killed. When Mac disappears, he fears he has been taken by the same sadistic killers, only to find it's someone from his past. Can Jo help Mac past this nightmare? Hurt/Comfort - Crime - Suspense - Drama and Romance
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The crisp air mixed with the fall foliage and made for a beautiful October day. Mac walked up the long sidewalk and through the large stone archway to find Flack and Sheldon talking under a tall Maple tree with brightly colored leaves. The leaves were floating off the tree, one, then another. Slowly falling to the ground and covering the body of a young man. He was half dressed and looked to be brutally beaten. He lay not far from the Manhattan School of Art, a large cobblestone building, with a breathtaking architectural design. There were four floors, with windows spanning from the floor to the ceiling, overlooking the small park where the body was found. Student's peered through the windows with a morbid fascination at the scene below.

As Mac cut across the grass to meet Flack and Sheldon, he caught a glimpse of someone running across the lawn. He turned to look and caught a glimpse of a blonde girl making her way into the school. She reminded him of Ella McBride, with her long blonde hair bouncing as she ran. He wondered if it could be her, since this was an art school. He brought his attention back to the young man who lay on the grass.

"What do we have?" he asked, as he pulled gloves on and knelt down to examine the body.

"Well, he was pretty badly beaten before he was stabbed in the heart." Sheldon observed.

"Do we have any witnesses, any idea where he was, any ID?" Mac questioned, looking up at Flack.

"No ID. No witnesses that came forward. No idea where this happened, but we don't believe it was here. Pretty sure it's a body dump," Flack answered.

"Well, let's get him back to Sid and see what he can tell us. Do we know where the rest of his clothes are?" Mac questioned some more.

"No," Sheldon answered. "He was found with his pants undone, no shirt, no coat, no shoes. Mac, he doesn't have underwear either."

"Maybe he didn't have any to begin with," Flack smirked.

"Maybe," Mac said. "Sheldon, finish gathering the evidence and get him back to Sid. See what kind of trace we can find on him."

"Sure, I'm on it," he said.

"Flack, who called it in?" Mac asked as he pulled his gloves off and shoved them in his pocket.

"Anonymous 911 call," he answered back.

"I guess we're done here for now then," Mac said.

Mac turned and picked up his kit and headed back to the Avalanche that was parked out front of the school. He opened the back door and put his kit on the seat. He looked up and spotted the young blonde girl again. She was to far away to tell if it was Ella. Mac closed the door and headed toward the front of the Avalanche. He was curious to know if that was her. As he rounded the front of the truck,

he was gone. He stopped and looked around, "_Where could she have gone so fast?_" He thought.

. . . .

"Hey Sid. What do ya have for me?" Mac asked as he walked in and leaned on the coroners table.

"Mac, I've never seen anything quite like this," he said handing Mac a file containing his findings. "I sent his clothes and trace samples up to the lab. I found a high level of Viagara in his blood, enough to cause him to have a heart attack, if he hadn't been stabbed first. He took quite a beating as well. There's ligature marks on his wrists and ankles. I also found lipstick on his lips, ears, neck, chest and genitals."

"Sid, are you telling me you think he was forced," Mac hesitated. "You think he was raped?"

"I'm saying, he had intercourse with more than one woman and with him being bound and beaten, it doesn't look like it was consensual to me."

Mac stood looking at the body of the young man laying on the table, he put his hand over his mouth and shook his head. He dropped his hand down to his side and murmured, "Who would do something like this?"

"I don't know Mac, but whoever it was, they were angry. There was a lot of rage in that beating."

"Thanks Sid, let me know if you find anything else."

Mac turned and walked from the autopsy room and headed toward the elevators.

. . . .

Jo stopped at Mac's office only to find he wasn't there. She continued down the hall when she heard the ding of the elevator. Watching as the doors opened she waited to see if Mac would exit. He was the last one off the elevator and she hurried to meet him. He was engrossed in the file that Sid had given him.

"Mac," she called.

He looked up to find Jo smiling as she hurried to meet him. "Does that smile mean you have something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. We have a name. Quinn O'Malley. His clothes were found in a dumpster behind the coffee shop on campus. He wasn't a student at MSA, looks like he was visiting here from New Jersey. Maybe he was looking to enroll there."

They continued to walk to his office. "Maybe," he said as he frowned and shrugged his shoulder.

"What is it Mac, somethings bothering you."

"They tortured this boy, Jo. Physically and sexually tortured him. I want to know who and why. And, I want to know now."

Mac was visibly angry, Jo could read him like a book. "We'll find them Mac, we'll find them," she said as she turned to leave. She stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder, "Hey, how about I buy you a drink tonight, you look like you could use one," she offered.

He looked up at her and couldn't help but smile, "Maybe, we'll see."

. . . .

Everyone was busy working on trace evidence, samples and blood analysis'. Adam was trying to identify some of the trace that was on the victim's pants.

Lindsey had gone home, but Danny was still working on sorting the DNA samples and running them through the computer.

Jo walked through the lab carrying her jacket. "Adam, do we have anything yet?"

"Not yet, this could take a little while. I'll let you know as soon as we get something," he answered.

"What about you Danny, anything?" Jo asked as she walked up to him and looked over his shoulder.

"Nothing yet," he sighed, leaning back in the chair and running his hands through his hair.

"Okay, Mac and I are going to grab something to eat. You find anything, you call us immediately." she ordered.

"Got it boss," Adam quipped.

"Adam," she said exasperated, "Don't call me that!" With that she turned and walked out of the lab and over to Mac's office.

Mac was sitting at his desk, flipping through a file and rubbing his temple. He heard Jo knock on the door and met her smile with a tired smile of his own.

"You ready to get something to eat?" she asked.

"Jo, I really need to keep working on this. We need to find who did this."

"Mac, you need to eat."

"I'm fine," he said raising his hand and raking it through his hair.

"No, no your not," she argued. She looked at Mac and could see the intense emotion in his face. "What aren't you telling me Mac?"

"It's nothing," he said.

"Come on Mac, give it up."

"I got a call today from New Jersey, it was Quinn O'Malley's mother. She was so upset, she asked me who could of killed her son and why? I couldn't even tell her everything that happened to him...I didn't have the heart," he whispered as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Oh, Mac, I'm sorry. I can only imagine how hard that was to do. But, that's all the more reason you need to get away from here, even if it's only for a little while," she said as she flashed him that smile that was just so hard to resist.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he said as he raised his arms in surrender. He got up and reached for his jacket. Shutting off the light and closing the door they headed down the hall to the elevator. "Wait, I should let Adam and Danny know we're leaving."

"Already done," she answered.

"But, they need...," he started.

"Already done, they will call as soon as they get something. Now Mac Taylor, let's go," she said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of the elevator.

Mac couldn't help but smile as they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. Jo slid her hand from his arm to intertwine her fingers with his, holding his hand tight. "I've waited all day for this Mac Taylor," she said as she stepped in front of him and met his lips with hers. Mac kissed her back, his eyes darting from her to the flashing buttons on the panel. He pulled away from her lips just before the elevator door opened on the ground floor.

. . . .

They walked to the diner on the corner. He wanted to stay close, just in case Adam found something that they could act on in a hurry. They strolled in to the cozy little diner and headed for their favorite table. The little booth in the back corner, private and quiet. Mac waited for Jo to sit before he slid in on the opposite side. He handed her a menu and opened his own, not that he needed to look at the menu, he had it memorized. "So, what are you going to order?" he asked.

"How about a juicy cheeseburger, fries and a side of Mac Taylor," she said smiling back at him.

He smirked at her, "Jo."

"Oh, come on Mac, you know how I feel about you and you know you feel the same thing. When are you going to admit you _want_ to take this to the next level?" she asked, somewhat frowning. She was getting tired of hiding their relationship, such as it was. "I want more from this than sneaking a kiss here and there."

"I know...you deserve more. I just...after Peyton, I guess I'm having a hard time letting my guard down," he answered. Peyton had hurt him. He wasn't sure he was ready for another intimate relationship with someone he worked with, although, he knew it wasn't fair to keep her hanging on like this. "Please, Jo, just give me a little time to adjust to having someone else in my life. Okay?" he pleaded.

She let out a heavy sigh, smiling at him she cocked her head to the side, "If it were anyone else, I'd kick him to the curb, just so you know. I'll give you some time, but, I won't wait forever Mac. I'm not getting any younger you know?"

He smiled at her and took her hand, "Thank you for understanding, I just don't want to rush into anything that will get us both hurt."

"Peyton really did hurt you, didn't she? I can't believe she wanted to start something with you again after how she broke things off. No class, broad. I'm personally glad you left it where it was," Jo said. She was almost angry at Peyton, yet thankful, she was no longer in his world.

They ordered their food and made small talk until it arrived. The waitress refilled their drinks and asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you right now?"

"Um, yeah, may I have a knife and some ketchup?" Jo asked.

The waitress looked at Mac and smiled. He looked around his plate and answered, "No, I'm good. Thank you."

Just as they were finishing up their food, Jo's phone rang. She picked it up and read the screen. "It's Adam," she said as she answered, "Hey Adam, what have you got?"

"I found a small amulet in the pocket of the victims pants. It had traces of vaginal fluids on it."

"What? Adam, see if you can find out what that means, we're on our way back now," she said as she and Mac slid out of their seats.

"What did he find?" Mac asked grabbing the bill.

"He said there was an amulet with traces of vaginal fluid on it found in the victim's pocket. What do you think that means?" she asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds kind of sick," he said. "Let's get back to the lab."

. . . .

Mac and Jo walked in to the lab, Adam was researching amulets on the internet. "What have you found Adam?"

"Well, this is some pretty weird stuff. It's called 'sex magic' and is believed to induce sexual feelings between the two participants. Your not going to believe this, but it's used by certain cults. Wicca, witches, you know, the dark side," he said flipping through the images on the screen.

"Sex magic?" Mac mumbled to himself.

"Some people take this stuff very seriously and there is more of it out there than you would think," Jo added.

"Did you find anything else?" Mac asked.

"There was some bits of stone embedded in the fabric of his pants. I analyzed it and came up with cobblestone. There was also some green marks on his knee's and under his nails. Its moss. So, I'm guessing where ever he was, it was some where near the school."

"Or under the school," Mac thought out loud.

"Adam, look up the schematic's of the art school, see if there is any underground rooms," Jo said.

"Let's go over there and take a look around that school," Mac said. He turned to Adam, "Call me if you find anything on those blueprints. I want to know what's under that school." He turned and met Jo at the door. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the elevator.

. . . .

As Mac opened the door for Jo, she turned to him and asked, "Mac, don't you think we should call Don?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt, why don't you give him a call."

Jo dug her cellphone from her pocket and punched in Don's number. His phone went to voicemail, she waited to leave a message, "Don, Mac and I are headed to the Manhattan School of Art. We need you to meet us there as soon as you can." They pulled out of the crime lab and headed to the school. It was dark and it started to rain. A cold drizzling rain.

They pulled up outside the building and Mac turned off the ignition. They sat there, waiting for Don to return Jo's call. "Maybe I should I try again?"

"Do it and then we'll head in, Flack can catch up." Mac answered.

Just as she began to dial the number her phone buzzed in her hand. "Danville," she answered.

"Hey, I'm on my way to the school now. Where exactly can I find you?" Flack asked.

"We're on the north side of the building, in the parking lot. We'll wait for you here," she said.

"I'll be there in 10," he said.

Mac's phone rang just as Jo put her's back in her pocket. He pulled it out and hit the speaker button before answering, "Adam, what did you find out?"

"Mac, there _are_ rooms under the school. But, the interesting part is the little out building in the back of the school, it has a passage way that goes into the basement of the school," Adam said.

"That little out building isn't too far from where the body was found." Jo said.

"Thanks Adam, good work," Mac commended as he hit the end button and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Here comes Don," Jo said.

They got out of the car and Mac locked the doors. They waited for him to park. As Don was pulling his collar up around his neck to shield the drizzling rain he walked over and met Mac and Jo on the sidewalk. "Okay, so what's the plan?" he asked.

"You and Jo head into the school, find the basement and see what you can find down there." Mac directed as he turned and looked away from the school.

"Where you going?" Flack asked.

"I'm going to that little out building beyond the school. I'll follow it, it should put me in the basement with you," he said.

"Just keep your eyes and ears open, we don't know what we'll find down there, or who," Jo added.

Flack and Jo headed off in the direction of the school. Mac headed to the out building. As he approached it, he pulled his gun out of his holster and slowly opened the door. He pulled out his flashlight. Flipping it on, he peered inside the building before he stepped in. It was a cold, stone building, not very big. He looked around finding garden tools and a snow blower. _"They must be using this as a storage shed," _he thought to himself. He moved around the snow blower and felt around the walls. Finally his hand hit on a wall that wasn't stone, he started tapping on it, and it sounded hollow behind it. He put his gun back in his holster and felt around the wall trying to figure out how to open it.

As Mac was trying to open the hidden passage, he heard a noise. He stopped what he was doing and reached for his gun. He opened the door to the shed and looked out. As he raised his hand to push the door open a little further he felt a terrible shock go through his arm. The shock caused him to yell out and he dropped his gun. Grabbing his arm, he fell backwards up against the inside wall of the building. The door flew open and Mac turned, scanning the room for his gun. He saw a figure standing in the doorway. She was wearing a long black cloak, a hood covering her head. He couldn't see who she was, but he could see the electric cattle prod she held. He stood, up against the wall, still holding his arm. "NYPD, Don't Move," he yelled.

The woman in the black cloak said nothing. She instead reached out and poked Mac with the cattle prod again this time catching him in the upper arm. Mac yelled out in pain again and sank to the floor. He had to try and reach for his gun that was laying by the door, as he grabbed for it, she stepped down on his arm and rested the cattle prod on his back. The pain was excruciating, he struggled to move away from it, but he couldn't. He finally succumbed to the blackness that enveloped him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi Everyone! I meant to put this on the first chapter, but forgot! So here it is today instead: I don't own CSI NY or Any of it's characters. I, like so many others, just like to use them in my own stories.**

**This story is a little darker and yes, Mac gets abused...A Lot! If you don't like stories about sexual abuse, don't read this one. But, if you do read and you get to the end, I hope you decide it was worth the read. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. It all makes sense in my head and by the time you get to the end of the story, I hope it makes sense to you too.  
**

**Again, thanks for reading and please review!  
**

Chapter 2

Jo and Flack had made there way around to the front of the building. Flack had opened the door and let Jo walk in ahead of him. "Chicken?" she asked with a smirk.

"No, my momma always said, 'Ladies first' and you are a lady," he said with a grin. The door closed behind them. "Do you know where the basement is?" Flack asked.

"No," she answered. Jo pulled her phone out and called Adam. "Adam, look at the blueprints, can you tell us how to get to the basement?" She continued to look around as Adam figured out the prints.

Finally he answered, "from the front of the building, go left down the hall, past the administrative offices. Then take a right, the janitor's closet should be on the left. The stairs are right next to the janitors door."

"Okay, we're headed that way now. Thanks Adam," Jo said as she and Flack walked down the hall past the administrative offices. They found the basement door and flipped on their flashlights before making there way down the steps.

They stood at the bottom of the steps, shining their lights from side to side. "Jo, it's just one big room down here," Flack said.

"There's got to be more than this down here," she answered looking around. "Maybe there's a door somewhere."

"Well, you start at that side of the wall, I'll start on this side, work our way to each other. If there is a door here, we'll find it," Flack said as he shined his flashlight around the room.

"Okay," she said as she moved to the wall and started feeling the cold stones.

"I wonder if Mac is having any better luck up there?" Jo wondered out loud.

"Speaking of Mac, have you got him to take the next step yet?"

She cocked her head at Flack and gave him that disapproving look, "Don, I don't kiss and tell."

"Just wondering if you've broken through that stubbornness of his with that southern charm," he answered with a grin.

"Just keep feeling the wall," she said laughing at him.

. . . .

Mac struggled to open his eyes. He tried to take a deep breath, tried to shake the cloudiness from his mind. The room felt cold and damp. He didn't know what he was laying on, but it was hard. He tried to move his hands but couldn't. He turned his head and tried to focus on them. He blinked a few times, finally being able to see somewhat, in the dimly lit room. He could see metal bands over his wrists with locks keeping them from moving. He looked around the room, he thought he must be under the school. The walls were stone, there was an alter on one wall with a large portrait hanging above it and a black cloth draped from the top. There was a large wooden door with an iron ring and a padlock. The alter had several silver chalice's and a couple of silver ornate plates, along with white candles in large silver candle holders. Mac couldn't help noticing the large ornate daggers laying next to a pile of black ties.

He could still feel the pain of the cattle prod as he tried, fruitlessly, to move his legs. He could feel the metal brackets digging into his ankles the more he moved around. He lay there, eyes moving between the hidden portrait and the large wooden door. He wondered if they also had Flack and Jo? If they did, where were they holding them? He started pulling on his wrists again, trying to get free. He stopped when he heard a creaking sound. He turned his attention back to the wooden door. His breath caught in his throat as it was pushed open. He laid still as he watched the cloaked figure enter the cold room, the hood still over their face, hiding who they were. The figure turned, closed the door and locked the padlock before turning to the alter.

"Who are you?" Mac asked his voice sounding deep and raspy.

The cloaked figure didn't answer, but walked over to the alter and started chanting in a low, methodical tone.

"What's this about? What do you think your going to accomplish by bringing me here? People know where I am, they'll come looking for me," he said, his voice reflecting the frustration he felt because of the lack of answers from whoever this was.

The cloaked figure continued to prepare the alter. Mac watched as the figure lifted a large dagger up to the covered portrait and chanted some more.

"Answer me?" Mac yelled.

The cloaked figure put down the knife, turned around and flipped down the hood of the cloak.

Mac's breath caught in his throat again as he realized who it was. His brows furrowed, blinking slowly, almost as if the figure would change with each one, he couldn't believe who was standing in front of him.

"Ella?" he mumbled in disbelief.

"Yes, Detective Taylor, it's me," she answered with a sharp pronunciation on 'detective'.

"Ella, I don't understand. Why?"

"Come now Mac. You knew how I felt about you." she said as she picked up the dagger and moved closer to the large stone table that he was bound to.

Mac could do nothing but stare at her, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew she had an unhealthy attraction to him, but to do something like this? "Ella, whats happened to you? The last time we met, you were just leaving the hospital. You were going to start a new life, go back to school..."

"Yeah, well, that didn't work out quite as planned," she said. "You see, the half way house they sent me too, was not quite what I expected." Ella moved closer to him, caressing the knife between her thumb and fingers. Mac watched the knife, darting his eyes between it and Ella.

"I don't understand, what happened?"

"What happened? Hmmm...I just couldn't stop thinking about you," she said taking her hand from the knife and rubbing his arm. Mac tried to pull away. "You can try and get away, but you won't be going anywhere," she mused.

"Ella, I only wanted to help you. That's all, I just wanted to be your friend."

"I wanted to be more than '_friends_' with you."

"What are you going to do?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I learned a lot in that half way house," she said. "You know what kind of people they put in those places?"

"Ella, I..."

"Sshhh, Mac, don't say anything. There's nothing you can say that will change what's gonna happen here."

"Ella, you don't have to do this. I'll help you...," he said, trying to reason with her.

"Help me? You want to help me? Looks to me like your the one who needs help. I'm going to show you some of the things I learned in that half way house," she said her face etched in anger.

Ella leaned over Mac, brushing her lips on his as she made her way to his ear and whispered, "All I wanted was for you to love me, to make love to me."

Before Mac could respond, Ella stood straight up and brought the knife up to his throat. Pressing the blade into his flesh, just enough to draw blood. She watched as he grimaced in pain, watching to see fear in his eyes.

"Are you afraid Mac?" she whispered. "Are you ready to love me?"

"No," he said through gritted teeth.

She pulled the knife from his throat and proceeded to trace the tip down his chest to his waist. Before Mac knew what was happening she slid the tip of the knife under his shirt and made a quick move upward, opening his shirt in one quick movement. Mac, jerked his head back as the knife came swiftly toward his face. He let out a small gasp as the tip of the blade nicked the side of his face.

Ella, seeing the blood trickle from his cheek, leaned over him, "Oh, look what I did," she said in an amused tone as she lowered her mouth over it and licked the blood away.

Mac closed his eyes, he wanted to escape this torture. If Ella had been the one who killed Quinn O'Malley, he knew what she had in mind for him and there was no way out. He felt her hands rubbing his chest as she slowly licked the blood from his cheek, her breath sending shivers down his body.

"Ella, stop this...your sick, you need help," he pleaded.

She stood up quickly and yelled, "Don't you say that, Don't you ever say that." The quickness of her anger, startled Mac. She brought her hand up and slapped him, hard in the face. He couldn't help but wince from the stinging blow.

She stood back and stared at him, her eyes were dark and cold. She turned from him and stood once again in front of the alter. She chanted while she began to crush little pills in a dish. He wasn't sure what it was, but he could guess and he hoped he was wrong. When she was done crushing the pills, she turned to him with a chalice in one hand and the crushed pills in the other. He watched as she mixed the pills into the red liquid of the chalice. She came to him again, this time lifting his head up enough for him to drink.

"Drink this!" she demanded.

"What is it?" he asked as he struggled to pull away from her.

"You will take the wine in and swallow it all, if you don't, I will have no choice but to torture you until you do. Your choice, Mac, the easy way or the hard way."

Mac watched as Ella's hand came closer to his lips with the chalice. She forced the liquid into his mouth. He wanted to spit it back out at her, but she held his mouth shut and he was forced to swallow or choke on it. He had no choice but to swallow. Coughing, he asked her again, "Ella, what was in that?"

"Oh, just something to help you play along, we'll give it a little time to work," she said as she winked at him.

Mac watched her, horrified at the thought of what she was planning to do, what she was going to force him to do. Mac began to struggle, trying fruitlessly to get his arms free, kicking and pulling to free his legs. He pulled on the shackles hard, the iron digging into his skin, breaking it open and causing his wrists to bleed.

"Stop it," she yelled slamming her hand down on the hard slab he was laying on.

"Ella, I won't let you do this to me," he growled.

"You don't have a choice, you should of just loved me Mac. It could have been so good between us."

"Ella, stop," he said his voice softening, trying to reason with her. "You don't want to do this, this isn't who you are."

She continued to caress his chest, scraping her nails across his skin. She ran her hands down his abs and rested them at his waist. She proceeded to unbuckle his belt and then unbuttoned his pants.

"Ella,..." he begged, his eyes pleading with her to stop.

"Oh, Mac...just lay back and enjoy this. It will be so much better for you if you just accept it and cooperate," she said, pulling his pants down over his hips just far enough to expose him. She once again moved to the table and picked up another bowl, she dipped her fingers into the clear liquid and began to massage his chest with the oil like substance. She swirled her fingers around his nipples making them hard to the touch. Mac couldn't stop his body from reacting to her touch. He could feel himself harden, as much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't. Ella, seeing his reaction, dipped her fingers once again, this time stroking his manhood. She pulled a small stool over to the side of the stone table. She yanked up the black robe she was wearing and climbed up, straddling herself over Mac and lowering herself on to him. His body was betraying him and he couldn't stop himself from the growing arousal. She began moving, slowly moving in rhythm, squeezing him with tight muscles. She began to move faster, with quick movements until her release was imminent. She squeezed harder and let out an almost animal like moan as she had hit the height of an orgasm that was better than she had ever had before. As her breathing slowed, she continued to move, waiting for his body to fully betray him. "Mac, don't fight it, let it happen. I won't stop until you do," she moaned. The control she had over him made her feel so powerful.

"Ella...you got what you wanted," he said with a staggered breath. He was trying so hard not to give in. To explode inside her would mean that she won and he couldn't let that happen, but he didn't know how much longer he could hold off. She continued to move back and forth, she pulled her black robe up under her arms, exposing her taunt breasts to him. "Look at me Mac," she whispered.

"No," he mumbled, his voice shaky, his eyes closed, his fist clenched.

"Look At Me," she demanded in a harsh tone, "Or You Will Be Sorry!"

Mac slowly opened his eyes, only to see her massaging her breasts with her hands, rolling her nipples between her finger tips. She again started breathing, hard and fast, as another orgasm rocked through her. Her muscles tightening once again around him, he couldn't stop it, his body finally giving into the ultimate betrayal and he exploded inside of her. "That's it Mac, give in to it," she breathed out. She sat on him a minute longer, basking in the glory of what she just accomplished. Mac, disgusted with her, disgusted with himself, could do nothing but close his eyes and try to escape this nightmare. Ella, leaned forward, rubbing her hands on his chest, an evil grin of satisfaction. Mac wanted her off of him, he wanted her to stop touching him, he wanted her gone.

Ella, climbed off him, dropping her robe back down to cover herself. "You see Mac, how good it could of been if you would of just been open to it?" she said as she leaned over, taking hold of his face and pulling him into a rough kiss.

Mac pulled his head away from her, his eyes closed, his brows furrowed and through gritted teeth he hissed, "If your going to kill me, just do it."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you, we have more in store for you," she said as she leaned over and kissed him again, forcing her tongue into a battle with his. As she pulled away from him, she turned back to the alter one last time. She picked a cloth up off of one of the ornate plates and turned back to him.

Mac gave her a questioning look, "We?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she said as she pressed the chloroform soaked cloth over his mouth and nose. He struggled for a few seconds, shaking his head, trying not to breath it in, but he began to fade into darkness as he heard her say in a faint voice, "Yes Mac, We."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for the great reviews. I know, how could I do that to Mac? It had to be that way! Please leave me a review if you are still with me. This chapter, you will find out who the "we" are!  
**

Chapter 3

Flack and Jo continued to explore the walls of the cold, damp, empty basement. Flack banging on the walls finally hit something hollow. He stopped and looked over to Jo. She moved over to his side and hit the wall herself. "This is it," she said.

"We just need to figure out how to open it," Flack answered, feeling around the wall for a hidden catch.

"Maybe it only opens from the other side," Jo wondered.

"Mac should be on the other side of the wall anytime now," Flack surmised, "Maybe we should just wait."

"He should have been down by now, don't you think?" she asked looking at her watch.

"He's probably lost in the tunnel," Flack laughed. He turned and headed for the stairs, "Let's go, we'll see if we can find him."

They headed up the stairs and out of the school in a search of Mac.

. . . .

Mac woke to find himself in the same cold, damp, cobblestone room. The alter, the portrait, the weapons, all still where they were left by Ella. But, something was different. It took him a minute to realize, he wasn't laying on a cold, hard, stone slab anymore. It was still there, in the middle of the room. His blood still evident on the wrist and ankle shackles dangling from the sides. As Mac's mind cleared from the chloroform, he realized he was on a chair. His wrists, cuffed behind his back, hurt when he moved them. They were cut and bruised from the shackles. Mac tried to move his ankles, only to find them bound to the chair legs. His head fell forward and his eyes closed, he was fighting to stay conscious. He continued to try and shake away the fog.

The creak of the door brought him back to reality. He raised his head to find a cloaked figure standing at the alter crushing more pills and mixing them in the red liquid again. "Ella?" he croaked his throat dry.

"No Mac, I'm sorry. It's not Ella."

"Who..," he began, the voice sounding familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.

"In good time Mac. In good time," she said her voice just above a whisper. She continued to mix the wine concoction. Taking one of the ties from the table she turned to him, her face covered with the hood, hiding who she was from him. She walked toward him with the tie in one hand and the drink in the other. "Okay Mac, we're going to have a little fun," she said as she placed the tie over his eyes and tied it in the back. "Are you thirsty?" she said as she picked up the chalice and tipped it to his lips. Mac as much as he needed a drink, turned his head trying desperately not to take it.

"Come now Mac, I know how much you like red wine," she said taking hold of his face and forcing him to drink.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked pulling his head back.

"Because Mac, I have wanted you for so long and I know you wanted me too."

He thought he knew the voice, but he was having difficulty placing it. "How do I know you?" he asked hoping she would give him a clue to who she was.

"Now, if I told you that it would take the fun out of it."

"From where do I know you?"

"Mac, I'm hurt you don't recognize my voice, maybe you'll recognize this instead," she said as her lips met his. "Come on Mac, open your mouth and let me in, the sooner you do the sooner you figure out who I am," she whispered in his ear. Again, she pressed her lips to his, forcing his lips apart with her tongue as he finally gave in and she explored his mouth with hers.

"Oh, how I missed that," she said. "We could have had something good, Mac, but you let her get in the way."

Mac's shoulders slumped and he bowed his head when he finally recognized the voice and realized who it was. "Quinn," he said. "I don't understand. Why?"

"So you do remember my kiss," she said as she caressed his cheek with her fingers.

She reached up and untied the blindfold and pulled it off. "Do you have any idea how much I wanted you? When we kissed, I knew there was something there," she said.

"It was a mistake Quinn, I told you before, I loved my wife," he said remembering that night.

"It wasn't a mistake Mac, not to me."

"I had to much to drink and it was a weak moment and a stupid thing to do."

"Stupid?" she seethed as the anger welled up inside of her. Quinn took the black tie that she had removed from Mac's eyes and wrapped it around her hands, pulling her hands apart, making it taunt. "You better watch yourself, Mac."

"How did you get mixed up with Ella?" he continued.

"Not for you to know just now."

"It doesn't matter how long you keep me here, it won't do you any good. There will never be anything between us."

"Shut up Mac," she said. As if the thought just popped into her head, Quinn stooped in front of Mac and gagged him with the tie. She pulled it tight and tied it behind his head. "You need to learn to cooperate, it will make our night so much nicer." She gave Mac a seductive smile and her voice turned sultry, "But if bondage is what you like, I'm definitely game for that."

Mac could do nothing but watch as Quinn turned to the alter. She picked up the dagger and turned back to him. "Remember the _Cabbie Killer_ Mac? How he marked his victims with L2729?"

Mac watched as she moved back toward him, staring intently at the shiny knife blade. His brows furrowed, eyes darting from her to the knife blade. His body tensing as he anticipated what her plans were.

Quinn had taken her eyes from the blade and grabbed the stool that Ella had used. She positioned it in front of Mac and sat down. Still holding the knife in one hand, she dropped her other on his knee. He watched her, his body tensing more and his breath catching in his throat as he felt her hand squeeze his knee tighter. She pushed the tip of the blade into his thigh, pushing slightly, just enough to break the skin. Blood seeped through the fabric. Mac fought the urge to react. Quinn watching his stoic look, pushed the knife in deeper. Mac squeezed his eyes shut as she pushed harder, groaning under the gag. "Did that hurt you Mac?" she asked with an evil grin. Finally pulling the knife from his leg, she stood up and moved behind him. Mac turned his head, trying to see where she was going, what she was doing. He felt her hands on his shoulders and caught sight of the knife blade. He looked up at her as she brought the knife down to his chest and began to carve into him. She could hear him suck in his breath as the blade cut through his skin. Just as she began to move the knife a voice came from behind him that wasn't hers.

"Quinn!" came the voice. "That's Enough!"

Yanking the knife away quickly she said, "I wasn't going to kill him, I just wanted him to feel the stabbing pain I felt when he rejected me."

"I know and all in good time, all in good time," came the recognizable voice behind him.

Mac closed his eyes once again. He couldn't believe the voice he was hearing, he had to be wrong, it couldn't be her.

Coming around and facing him she reached over and touched his cheek. "Mac, are you glad to see me?" Peyton asked.

Mac could do nothing but stare at her. He was trying to convince his brain that his eyes were deceiving him. His heart beat faster as he remembered their last encounter. She couldn't honestly think that he would have a relationship with her again after how she ended it? Could she? He thought they parted that night, not as lovers, but at least as friends.

"Mac," she said, "What are you thinking? I can see the wheels turning. Your trying to understand why I'm here. Why do I want to hurt you?"

It wasn't until she spoke that he noticed the cattle prod in her hand, swing back and forth, back and forth. His brows furrowed once again, he wanted to speak, but the gag was too tight. No words would come out.

"You see Mac, that afternoon, after you caught Professor Scott, I knew then that I couldn't walk away from you again. I needed to be with you, I loved you," she said. "So, I quit my job in England and decided to stay in New York."

It was all becoming clear to him, when she apologized and then tried to kiss him, he turned her away. He had loved her and it hurt him when she broke things off but he had moved on. He didn't know what her plans were, he couldn't be blamed for her deciding to stay.

"When you turned me away, I was devastated. I gave up everything for you," she continued still swinging the cattle prod. He kept his eyes on her, trying not to let her see the anxiety he felt over the weapon she held. "Now, Mac, we're going to take you some place a little more comfortable. Your going to cooperate because if you don't. . . ," she said tapping the cattle prod in the palm of her other hand. "I don't want to have to do that, but I will if you force me too." Peyton leaned down and undone the ties around his ankles.

Quinn moved in behind him, grabbing his arms and lifting up on them. He let out a groan as the pain shot up through his shoulders. "Come on Mac, time to go," Quinn growled, taking pleasure in knowing that she caused him pain. He managed to get his feet planted on the floor as Quinn continued to pull up on his arms and push him forward. Quinn let go and he stumbled forward falling into the hard slab table he had been tied to earlier. He turned around and glared at her as she moved toward him and laughed. Grabbing his arm, she guided him to the door. "Quinn, wait...he needs to be blindfolded."

Mac swung his head around and shot her a look of disbelief. Quinn grabbed one of the ties and wrapped it around his eyes and tied it tight behind his head. Peyton held the door as Quinn pushed Mac through it. He could feel a cold breeze in the hall as they walked. He could tell it was narrow, as she kept shoving him, he scraped against the walls. It smelled damp and musty. Quinn continued to push him toward their new destination. Mac wondered if they were taking him somewhere away from here. His mind raced trying to come up with a way to escape. He tried to hear, smell, feel anything that could help him. Soon they had come to another door, he heard it creak as it was opened. "We're going up some stairs now," Peyton warned. "Be careful, I wouldn't want you to fall and get hurt."

Quinn maneuvered him around the door and pushed him forward. He hit his foot on the bottom step and almost fell forward, stopping himself when he banged his shoulder into the door frame. He grunted as the pain shot through his shoulder once more. He made his way up the steps with Peyton leading and Quinn following close behind. He wondered where Ella was. Where had she gone? Would she be there, where ever there was, when they arrived? Peyton turned, "Stop, wait here a minute," she commanded. Mac could hear another door creak open. He could feel and smell the fresh air coming from the opened door. He could hear the wind blowing through the tree's, but other than that, it was silent.

Peyton looked around, finding the car where Ella had parked it, she turned back to Quinn. "Okay, bring him out," she whispered. Quinn grabbed him by the arms and guided him up the last few stairs and out the door. She continued to push him in the direction she wanted him to go. He heard a pop sound and was jerked to a stop by Quinn grabbing his arm.

"Alright Mac, your going for a ride," Peyton said.

Quinn pushed him up against the edge of the car, "Get in the trunk," she commanded. Mac turned to look in her direction, just as he did, Peyton brought the cattle prod up and jabbed it into his stomach. He jerked back, falling into the open trunk, hitting his head on the tire iron that lay inside. Quinn grabbed his legs and pushed them in and then slammed the lid shut.

**So, what did you think? Please leave me a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, so here we are again. It's really looking bad for Mac and Jo this chapter. Hope your still with me and enjoying this mess!**

Chapter 4

Mac woke to find himself laying in a large bed. The room was bright, the sun was shining through a large window. The bed clean and comfortable. He was confused as to where he was now and wondered where had Peyton, Quinn and Ella gone. He could hear the low roar of the ocean lapping at the shore. He brought his hand up and rubbed his temple, hoping to stop the pounding in his head. He stopped and pulled his hand away and stared at it. It was then that he realized that he wasn't bound to the bed.

He moved his legs to see if they we're bound and was happy to find that they weren't. He sat up and looked around the room, he was alone. Mac swung his legs over the bed. He wanted away from here, away from them. Mac stood and headed for the door. Just as he reached for the handle, something was slid under the door from the other side. He picked up the envelope and pulled out the note. He stood there, his hands trembling as he then pulled out the picture that was still inside. Dropping the envelope he moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. Holding on to the picture he waited for them to arrive.

. . . .

Mac sat on the bed staring at the picture, rubbing his finger over the bruised and swollen cheek of his partner. His heart ached at the thought of her being bound to a chair and beaten unconscious. He had to do what they wanted or she would suffer more abuse, he couldn't live with that. As he continued to stare at the picture he wondered what had happened to Flack. He needed a way out, he needed to find Jo and Flack. Mac's mind was trying to think when the door to his prison opened.

Peyton and Quinn moved into the room. They were wearing sheer robes that Mac could see the tiny negligee's under. He felt a knot growing in the pit of his stomach as he eyed them with disgust. He stood up and moved toward them, "Where's Jo?" He demanded. "What did you do to her?"

"Mac, your in no position to talk to us like this," Quinn answered as she pushed him back toward the bed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close to him whirling her around so his arm was around her neck. Holding tight, watching as she grabbed his arm to pull it away, he looked at Peyton, "Where is Jo?" he yelled.

Peyton stood there watching Mac with an amused smirk playing across her face. "May I?" she asked as she pointed toward the television. Mac's eyes furrowed as he nodded his head in agreement in the direction of the television. Peyton moved across the room and picked up the remote, pushing the button to turn on the device. Mac watched as the picture on the screen filled with the horror of his nightmare. Jo was chained to a wall, toes barely reaching the floor. Arms and legs spread apart, stretched as far as they would go. Ella was standing near by with the cattle prod, ready to shock her at any given time. Peyton looked at the screen, "Do it!" she said. Before Mac could react, Ella touched Jo with the rod and watched as her body shook from the electricity that bolted through her.

"Stop It!" he yelled, letting Quinn loose and dropping his hands to his sides. "I'll do what you want, just stop hurting her." Quinn turned and before Mac could react, she pulled her fist back and punched him in the face, catching him under the right eye. Mac's head flung back and he could feel the blood trickling down his cheek. He stumbled backwards as she moved in and pushed him back on the bed.

"Now, try that again and the next time Ella won't stop until she's dead," Quinn growled at him.

Mac wiped the blood from his cheek and glared at Quinn. "What do you want?" he mumbled.

"For you to get cleaned up," Peyton said pointing to the bathroom.

Mac looked over to the bathroom. As he stood up he caught sight of Jo on the television screen. She had started coming around, her head swaying side to side. He could hear her moaning in pain as Ella continued to try and bring her around. "Tell Ella not to hurt her," he said turning back to Peyton, "or I won't..."

"Or you won't what?" Quinn said pushing him toward the bathroom door. "You will do exactly what we say or you will watch her die a torturous death."

"Now go get cleaned up," Peyton directed. "There's a robe for you to put on when you're finished."

Mac went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. After undressing he stepped into the shower and let the hot water flow over him. He watched as the red water swirled down the drain. Mac examined the wounds on his ankles and wrists from the shackles used to hold him down. He felt the cut on his cheek from Quinn's ring when she punched him. The various stab wounds, from Ella and Quinn. He wondered how they could want him when they obviously hated him. He just stood there letting the water run over him, hoping he could get Jo out of here before they killed them both. He heard a knock on the door and then the door swung open.

"Time's up, Mac. Dry off and put the robe on. You have five minutes to be out here," Quinn ordered.

Mac sighed and turned off the water, dried and put on the robe. He tried to think of a way out of this, but not knowing where Jo was being held or even if they had Flack, he was at their mercy. He could only hope that Peyton would keep her word and not hurt her if he did as he was told.

"Mac, come out here...," Peyton called.

He slowly opened the door and stood in the doorway. Peyton was standing near the television, bringing his attention to Jo once again. "Just in case you decide to try something stupid, I want you to remember what will happen to her," she said.

"I won't try anything," he shot back.

Peyton stepped in front of him and laid her hands on his chest. She moved in to meet his lips with hers. He stepped back, bumping into Quinn, she put her hands on his back and gave him a slight push forward. "It's okay Mac, just let go and enjoy the ride," Quinn whispered.

Peyton grabbed the tie of Mac's robe and pulled him toward the bed. Turning him around she reached up and took his face in her hands, pulling him into a rough kiss. Quinn climbed on the bed, crawling up behind him, wrapping her hands around him and pulling the robe off his shoulders. She crawled back and Peyton pushed Mac down onto the bed. "Come on Mac, move up on the bed, I need to get closer to you," Quinn said, patting the pillow beside her. Mac didn't move, he couldn't get his body to do what his head was telling him to do. "Ella...," said Quinn as she looked at the television screen, "I think Mac needs some persuasion." Ella moved in front of Jo, lifting the cattle prod.

Mac could hear Jo cry out, "No...Please, don't."

"Stop it," Mac yelled as he moved himself up to the top of the bed.

"That's better," Peyton said as she crawled up the end of the bed and posed in front of Mac. She dropped the robe she was wearing, revealing a sheer red negligee. "Like what you see, Mac?" she asked.

Mac closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillow. Quinn lay down beside him and began to caress his chest, moving her hand down his hard body. Peyton moved up between his legs and began to touch him too. Quinn grabbed Mac's wrist, ignoring his gasp from the pain he felt, placing his hand on her breast. "Come on Mac, participate...you don't want Jo to feel any more pain."

He had no choice but to touch her. His stomach turned, his mind was racing, his heart beating fast. He could hear Jo calling his name... "Mac...Mac...Can you hear me?" Peyton slid her self up over his body, meeting his lips with hers. Pushing her tongue into his mouth and kissing him hard. "Tell me you love me Mac," she said.

"No," he whispered.

"Tell me you love me, Mac," she demanded again, sliding her hand down his body.

"No, I won't...I don't," he growled at her again.

"Mac, you love this, you love us," Quinn whispered in his ear, suckling his earlobe when she finished.

Mac, moving his head away from her again said, "No...No..."

"Mac, you love this, you love us...," Peyton said again seductively running her hands through his hair and pulling his lips toward hers.

"NO...No, I love...I'm in love with Jo," he said.

**Uh Oh! What's going to happen, now that he admits he is in love with Jo? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. Please be kind and leave a review. I was really kinda worried about putting this story on here, I thought it might of been over the top with Mac being raped and all. I would love to know what you all think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok...so here we are to the chapter that explains it all. Don't hate me, please! Thank you to all who have read and enjoyed. A special Thank You to those who left a review. I so enjoy reading what you think.  
**

Chapter 5

Mac lay in bed. He was mumbling, the words were hard to make out. She was sitting beside his bed, waiting for him to wake up. He had been out for some time.

"No...No, I'm in love with Jo...I love Jo," he mumbled.

"Mac, Mac can you hear me?" Jo asked, shaking him lightly.

"No..don't touch me...get your hands off me...," he mumbled shaking his head from side to side trying to get away from her.

"Mac, Mac wake up, please," she said almost begging.

Mac's eyes fluttered. He could here Jo calling for him, he was trying to get to her.

"Mac, please come back to me," she whispered close to his ear.

"JO," he yelled, opening his eyes and bolting up from the bed.

Jo jumped back in surprised as Mac sat up. "Mac, Mac it's okay...your okay," Jo said trying to calm him down.

Mac looked around, disoriented, confused, his head pounding. He looked around the room, wondering where he was. He looked at Jo with pleading eyes, "Where am I? What happened?"

"Mac, your in the hospital. You've been here for about twelves hours. We've been waiting for you to wake up," she explained.

"Where's...where's Peyton?"

"Peyton?" she asked confused.

"She...they...What happened to me?"

"Let me get the doctor in here, then I'll tell you everything that happened," she said as she hurried from the room to find the doctor.

. . . .

Mac lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to a heart machine and an I.V. He listened to the beep of the machine, the beeping becoming quicker as he tried to remember how he got here. He didn't like not knowing what happened, not having control over his life. The last thing he remembered was Peyton and Quinn touching him, kissing him, whispering in his ear. He remembered Ella standing over Jo, hurting her and hearing Jo calling to him. The beep of the machine, registering his heart rate had started beating faster, the numbers of his blood pressure rising.

The doctor entered the room and rushed to his side. "Mr. Taylor, you need to calm down," he said. "Your going to be fine."

"I want to know how I got here, when I got here, what happened to me?" Mac questioned.

"You were brought in about twelve hours ago, unconscious. You had been, for all intense purposes, '_electrocuted' _by someone with a cattle prod. It took some time to get you stabilized and you have been out since then. We're glad to see you awake and alert. Do you remember anything?" the doctor asked.

"I...I'm not sure what I remember," he said in a slow, almost whisper, voice. "Where's Jo?"

"She's just outside, she needed to make some phone calls. I can have her come back in as long as you can stay calm," the doctor ordered. He continued with his exam, checking his pulse again, listening to his heart and checking the blood pressure one more time. He finally finished and patted Mac on the shoulder, "I think you'll be fine in a few days, we'd like to keep you here for at least the night to keep an eye on you though," he continued.

"Do I have a choice?" Mac mumbled. He knew full well the doctor would talk to Jo and there was no way she would let him leave any earlier than the doctor thought safe.

"No, I already talked to your partner, she said your staying," he answered with a grin. "I'll go get her but I want you to rest."

The doctor turned and walked toward the door. He opened it and motioned for Jo to come back in. "He's asking for you," he said. "He's doing well, but he needs stay calm and rest."

"Thank you, doctor...I'll see to it that he rests." Jo closed the door as the doctor walked away. She turned to smiled at Mac as she headed back to the seat by his bed. She could see in his eyes that he was troubled by whatever he had been through in his own mind. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Jo, I need you to tell me what happened."

"We went to the school to look for the secret passage ways, remember?" She could see him trying to remember, trying to piece together the pictures in his mind. "Flack and I went into the school, you went to the little outbuilding. When we hadn't heard or seen you in a while we came out to look for you. That's when we caught two young women trying to put you in the trunk of their car. You were unconscious."

"Who were they?"

"Two young women, they were part of a "cult" that, just like Adam suggested, were into some very weird practices. The fluid found on the amulet, was matched to the one who hit you with the cattle prod, her name is Catherine Garvey. Her accomplice, who was going through initiation, was Lisa Brian."

"But...what about...I...they never," he couldn't find a way of asking that didn't make him sound crazy even in his own mind. Jo could see him struggling with memories of what she suspected a horrible dream that seemed very real to him.

"Mac, we got the whole group, they are all being charged with Quinn O'Malley's murder. It was sick and twisted what they were doing...I'm just glad we found you before they..." her voice trailed off as if she knew that in his mind, he didn't get away. "Mac, do you want to tell me whats bothering you?"

"I...it must have been a dream...I must have been dreaming...but it seemed so real," he stammered. "Why would I be dreaming of Peyton, and Quinn? And Ella?"

"Dreams are usually the subconscious trying to tell us something." Jo said. "Maybe because they were on your mind. We were talking about Peyton earlier that day and Quinn, Quinn is the name of our victim. I don't know why Ella...had you seen her or talked to her lately?"

He thought about it a moment and then said "I thought I saw her at the art school earlier."

"That could explain it," she said. "Your subconscious was working overtime trying to tell you something and using these people to do it."

He let out a little half laugh, "I'm not sure I want to know...it was just too crazy."

"I have a friend who is an expert in dream analysis, I can have him come by, if you would be more comfortable talking to him about it."

Mac considered the offer. He was just as curious to know what his dream meant as Jo seemed to be. "Sure," he said. "I would like that."

"I'll call him this afternoon then," she answered. They spent a little longer discussing all the details of the case, Jo continued to fill him in on what they had discovered from the time of their arrest. She had checked her watch and frowned seeing the time. "I gotta go," she said. "I'm on the afternoon shift today." She got up and leaned over the bed, looking in his eyes, she moved in to kiss him.

Mac, hesitated, he felt embarrassed and ashamed. He turned his face away letting her catch him on the cheek. Jo pulled back, not wanting to push, "I'll see in the morning," she whispered.

He could see in her face that he hurt her, but he felt so mixed up at the moment. "Jo," he started, "I..,"

"It's okay," she said, "you've been through a lot. I'll see you in the morning." She turned and moved to the door, trying to hide the hurt she felt.

Mac, took a deep breath, closing his eyes, he let it out slowly. He had to know what the dream was about. It had to mean something. But what?

. . .

Later that afternoon Clarence George walked down the long hall to room 241. He had received a call from a long time friend. She had asked him to visit her 'friend' in the hospital. He had gathered a little information about Mac Taylor before coming here. He knew that he had lost his wife on 9/11. By talking to his friend, Jo Danville, he knew that he was a very private man, very good at hiding behind his job. He knew a little about Peyton, he also knew by talking to Jo that there was more than friendship between her and Mac. She had told him what she thought she heard just before he awoke.

He continued down the hall, hunting for the right room. When he found it, he knocked on the door and slowly opened it. Waiting to hear for the okay to enter. "Mr. Taylor?" he asked.

"Come in," he directed, waving him in and then reaching out to shake his hand. "Call me Mac."

"Okay, Mac...I'm Clarence George, Jo Danville asked me to come talk to you about a dream you had. You want to know what it means?"

"Well, yes...it seemed so real," he said.

"Dreams are the subconscious' way of telling us something. We just need to put the pieces together to see what that is. Would you like to tell me what you remember? Tell me everything you can remember no matter how weird you think it is. Dreams don't always make sense, things get jumbled and seem to be out of place." Clarence sat down next to Mac's bed. He pulled out a notebook to jot down notes and then a book titled, '_Dreams and their Meanings.'_ "Okay Mac, when ever your ready...lay back, close your eyes and go back as far as you can remember."

Mac lay back on the pillow, closed his eyes and went back as far as he remembered. "I remember going into the cobblestone outbuilding, I was looking for a passage way. I heard a noise and turned to find a woman, hidden under a cloak, at the door. She attacked me with a cattle prod, I remember the pain and then nothing. I remember waking up on a large stone table with my hands and legs bound by shackles. Someone in a cloak came in and started chanting in front of a covered portrait."

"Who was on the portrait Mac?"

"I don't know...I couldn't see it," he answered.

"Okay, go on," Clarence directed.

He hesitated, embarrassed to go on, he remembered this part clearly and still couldn't believe he would dream something so outrageous. "I...I'm embarrassed at what, I mean how could I..."

"Mac, it's okay, there is a reason, your subconscious is trying to reveal something to you through this...don't be embarrassed, I've heard it all," Clarence assured him.

"The next thing I remember is the cloaked woman turned around revealing herself to me. It was a young woman, her name is Ella." Mac went on to briefly explain how he knew Ella before continuing with the dream. "She forced me...I couldn't stop it," he said in almost a whisper. Mac went onto explain his encounter with Quinn and then Peyton. How he was taken to a new place and made to watch Jo being tortured, how he had to give into their demands. How he could hear Jo calling him and begging him for help and then how he had awaken to find Jo sitting beside him.

As Mac continued to recount his dream, Clarence listened. He jotted down notes and connected some of the pieces. When Mac finished Clarence stood and looked at Mac. Mac furrowed his eyes at Clarence and simple asked, "Am I crazy?"

"No Mac, your not crazy," he said with a chuckle. "This is actually quite easy to explain." Clarence walked over to the window and stared out. "I just need to ask you a few questions, if that's okay with you?"

Mac watched him and answered, "Okay...go ahead, ask."

"How long has it been since you've been in a relationship with someone?"

Mac looked confused, "Awhile, I guess."

"Come on Mac, be honest with me, is there someone in your life that you want to have a relationship with?"

Looking down at his hands and nodding his head he answered, "There is someone."

Clarence turned and walked back to the side of Mac's bed and sat back down. He looked through his notes and then flipped open his book. "Okay, let me start from the beginning. I'm going to pick pieces out of your dream and tell you what they symbolize, then I'll put it all together and tell you what this dream, in my opinion, means."

Mac nodded his head and said, "I'm listening."

"First of all, to see a portrait in your dream indicates there is a relationship that needs your attention. Your not looking deep enough in the the problem. Alternatively, the dream means that you are clinging on to the past or to some false hope. You may have to consider who is on the portrait, the image may be trying to take you back to a particular moment in time.

"But, I never saw who in the portrait," Mac answered.

"Well, to dream that someone is hidden indicates that you are looking for a sense of security and protection," he continued. "I think, it may have been your wife, Claire. Subconsciously you may be holding on to the hope that she is still out there. "

Mac continued to watch him closely, taking in everything he was saying.

"To dream that your are being kidnapped means that you are feeling trapped or restricted. Someone or some situation is diverting your concentration and taking your attention away from your goals. To dream that you are in bondage signifies aspects of your emotions and character are too tightly controlled. The shackles suggests that you are in a rut, your life is becoming a routine." Clarence shifted in his chair and continued, "Now to dream of being forced to have sex, indicates resentful feelings toward the opposite sex. You may feel that you have been violated or taken advantage of. Also, to dream of having sex with an ex means you have reservations about embarking in a new relationship or situation. You may feel nervous about exposing yourself and your feeling a resurgence of those old emotions and feelings that you felt then."

Mac watched Clarence intently as he rattled off all the different aspects of his dream and their meanings. Even he was beginning to see a pattern in what he was explaining and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

Clarence, seeing Mac and his reactions, continued on in his explanation. "To dream that you have been stabbed signifies your struggle with power. You are experiencing feelings of inadequacy and defensiveness. To see others beaten suggests that some part of your life is out of balance. Now, electrocution signifies that the current course of your actions will lead to disaster. It also represents fear and consequences of your actions and tells you that you need to be more aware of those around you." He paused, gave Mac a second to take it all in and then continued, " Alright, now to dream that you are involved in a threesome indicates that there is a missing component in your sex life. Because they are female, it implies that the missing component may pertain to some emotional aspect of sex."

"Whoa, Wait! What? You think I want a threesome?" Mac asked in surprise.

Clarence again chuckled, "No, no...just because you dream of a threesome doesn't mean you want one."

Mac relaxed a bit and leaned back against the pillow again. "You had me worried," he said. "Please, go on."

Clarence sat back in his chair and continued, "Okay, well to dream that you are showering may suggest you need to "come clean" or confess. It's time to be honest. Perhaps the dream is telling you that you need to let down your guard."

Mac shifted in his bed, clearly uncomfortable with that last revelation, but he continued to listen to Clarence.

"To dream of a bathrobe in your dream represents your personal needs or privacy issues. It also relates to sexual/intimate situations and your ability to confront and deal with them," Clarence said, almost with a grin. He closed his book and leaned forward in his chair. "Mac, you know what this dream is about now, don't you?"

"I...I think I do," he said leaning his head back against the bed and closing his eyes.

"You need to tell her how you feel Mac, you need to let the past go and move on with your life. Jo loves you and from this dream, it's obvious you are fighting it, but you love her too."

"I guess...maybe your right," he sighed.

"Well, I think my job here is done. You know what the dream means." Clarence stood up and headed for the door. He turned back and smiled, "Mac, Jo loves you, I could hear it in her voice when I talked to her. You'd have to be blind not to see that and an idiot to ignore it." With that he turned and left.

Mac couldn't help but smile, "How do you argue that?" he said to himself.

**Ok...so now you know! I didn't actually rape Mac Taylor! I so hope you enjoyed the twist and yes, I did look up the meaning of the dreams and did my best to work it into the story correctly. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. **

******There is only the Epilogue left and my personal favorite part of the story!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this is the last chapter...the one I know most are waiting for. Hope you enjoy it and that I did this story justice. Thanks again to all the loyal readers who read my story. A special Thank You to all of you that have left a review, I so appreciate it!**

Epilogue

The following morning, the sun shining through the window, Jo rolled over and picked up her ringing cell phone. "Danville," she answered stifling a yawn.

"Jo, it's Clarence," he said in a cheerful tone.

"Clarence, hey, of course, good morning," she said sitting up, instantly awake now. "How did it go with Mac?"

"Well, as much as I want to tell you his dream, it really was fascinating, I can't. I wouldn't feel right, but that being said, I think he will be fine. He was able to see what it meant and how the pieces all fell into place. He'll be fine." he assured her.

"Oh? Can't you just give me a hint?" she asked, her curiosity killing her.

"It was too personal Jo, if he wants to tell you, he will."

"Thank You, Clarence. I really appreciate you talking to him."

"My pleasure. Talk to you again, soon."

Jo hit the end button on her phone and crawled out of bed. She wanted to stop and see Mac before she headed to the lab. She hoped that he was feeling better today. Whatever was in his dream, she knew it confused and even scared him. She was worried, he was already reserved about their relationship, she hoped this didn't completely shut him down.

Later that morning, Jo knocked on the door to Mac's room and slowly opened the it to find him sitting on the side of the bed. He smiled when she entered and motioned for her to sit beside him.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning...how do you feel?" she asked with genuine concern.

"I'm good."

"How did your meeting with Clarence go? Did it help to talk about it with him?"

"I believe it did, but I really don't want to talk about that right now. I just want to get out of here."

"Mac, you need to be patient. The doctor will be in shortly, I'm sure he will release you sometime today."

Just as she finished, there was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in. "Mr. Taylor, how do you feel this morning?" he asked.

"I'm good, when can I get out of here?"

"Just lay back on the bed and let me do what I get paid for and then if everything goes as expected, you can leave this afternoon."

"Great," he said as Jo moved to the chair and Mac lay back in the bed. The doctor stood over him and checked his pulse, his heart, his blood pressure and reflexes. "Looks good, I think you can go home after lunch," he said patting him on the shoulder. "We'll get the paper work ready and you can arrange for a ride."

"Thanks doc," he answered, then looking over to Jo, he asked, "Can you pick me up this afternoon?"

"Of course I can and if you feel like it later this evening, the team wants to meet for drinks after work...what do say?"

Mac thought about it for a moment and then nodded his head and said, "I think I'd like that."

"Great, I have to get to the lab, but I'll be back to get you this afternoon," she said rising to her feet. She stood next to Mac's bed and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. She didn't want pressure him but most of all she didn't want to feel the disappointment and hurt of him turning away from her again.

. . . .

Later that evening, Jo and Mac had walked into _Hooligans. _They spotted Danny and Lindsey, Adam, Flack, Sheldon and Camille, all sitting around a large table. The lights in the bar were down low with blue, red and green strobe lights flashing across the dance floor. There was a DJ playing music and people dancing.

"Hey Mac," Lindsey said spotting them first.

"Mac, good to see you up and around," Flack chimed in as he stood and shook his friends hand.

"It feels good to be out," he answered back as he pulled a chair up for Jo and himself. They sat down and ordered a drink and the conversation between friends continued.

A little while later, Mac excused himself and headed for the back of the bar. He stopped to talk to the DJ. and then walked back to the table. Standing beside Jo he held out his hand to her, as the music began to play, he asked, "May I have this dance?" Lindsey's jaw dropped as she jabbed Danny in the side. Flack grinned and shot Mac a _thumbs up,_ while Sheldon and Adam grinned at each other.

"Mac? What are you up to?" she asked bewildered as she took his hand and they moved to the dance floor. The music played, they began to move around the dance floor, when the words started to sink in.

_You remind me_

_I live in a shell_

_Safe from the past and doing' okay but not very well_

_No jolts, no surprises, _

_no crisis arises _

_My life goes along as it should,_

_it's all very nice but not very good _

Mac gazed into her eyes. Her heart melted and tears came to her eyes as she realized what was happening. The music continued to play and Mac pulled her closer.

_And I'm ready to take a chance again_

_Ready to put my love on the line with you_

_Been living with nothing to show for it _

_You get what you get when you go for it_

_And I'm ready to take a chance again with you_

She held him close, he smiled and wiped her tears. Leaning in to meet her lips with his.

_When she left me in all my despair,_

_I just held on _

_My hopes were all gone, _

_then I found you there _

They continued to hold each other close. The team watching them with smiles glued to their faces. Lindsey wiping tears from her eyes.

_And I'm ready to take a chance again_

_Ready to put my love on the line with you_

_Been living with nothing to show for it_

_You get what you get when you go for it _

_And I'm ready to take a chance again_

_Ready to put my love on the line with you_

_Been living with nothing to show for it_

_You get what you get when you go for it_

_And I'm ready to take a chance again_

_Ready to take a chance again with you, with you_

As the music stopped, Mac gazed into Jo's eyes and kissed her deeply. Pulling back he whispered, "I _am_ ready to take a chance again Jo...I Love You!"

Wiping a new set of tears from her eyes, she smiled and could do nothing more than pull him close and kiss him again.

They were met on the dance floor by Lindsey and Danny, Flack and Adam, Sheldon and Camille. Lindsey hugged Jo while Flack slapped Mac on the back and Danny shook his hand. The music began to play again, the couples danced while Flack and Adam went and bought another round of drinks.

. . . .

Mac opened the door to his apartment. Jo, a little tipsy and extremely happy, danced her way in. He closed the door and turned to find her standing there. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. "I love you Mac Taylor," she said meeting his lips with hers.

"I love you too," Mac whispered, kissing her again with increasing passion. He guided her to the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"Are you ever going to tell me about that dream?"

"No...I'm going to start a new dream...with you!" He said as he kissed her again. Running his hands up under her shirt to feel her soft skin. His touch sent shivers through her, all she wanted was for him to hold her tight and never let her go. She wanted to create a bond, a connection, a life with him that she had yearned for, for so long. Mac leaned in to kiss her, it started soft and sweet and grew to an all consuming passion. He pulled her shirt over her head, stopping to admire her beautiful body for only a second before his hands were on the straps of her bra, sliding them down over her shoulders, unsnapping it, and letting it fall to the floor. Jo kicked off her shoes as he undone the button to her jeans and slid them down. He knelt down in front of her, hooking his fingers into the thin lace of her panties, teasing her as he slipped them off. She could feel his warm breath, his touch sending ripples of excitement through her. His fingers ever so lightly tracing up her thighs and gently parting her legs, letting his fingers explore her sweet spot. He laid his lips just above her naval and gently placed kisses, trailing them up to her breast. Taking her nipple into his mouth, he teased her, gently nipping at it and flicking it with his tongue. Letting it go he gazed into her eyes and their lips met again. Still locked in that kiss, Mac in one quick movement picked her up and laid her on the bed. He gazed down at her, admiring how beautiful she was, seeing the need in her eyes. He pulled the black sweater over his head and flung it aside. Kicking off his own shoes, jeans and socks, his eyes never left her.

Jo lay their watching him undress, his strong muscles, flexing as he moved. The battle scars from his earlier days only making him more attractive. He climbed in next to her, laying on his side and propping himself up with one arm, making circular patterns over her breast with the other hand. "Mac, please, I've waited so long. Don't tease me," she whispered.

He let out a chuckle and then rolled over on top of her, she spreading her legs, to let him in. Their lips met, hungry for each other. He trailed the kiss down her neck and suckled her breast. Jo couldn't hold back the moan as she arched her back, pushing herself up to him, "I need you," she moaned. Mac slid himself into her and started a slow, steady, gentle rhythm. He continued to gaze at her, enjoying the passion that danced in her eyes, he sped up the rhythm.

Her breath caught in her throat as her climax built. She grabbed the sheets, holding on tightly to them, letting the first orgasm explode through her. She released the sheets and exhaled the breath that she had been holding. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in closer, kissing his shoulder as she arched her body further into his. Mac held her tight, his breathing fast, his rhythm changing. She whispered in his ear, "I want to feel all of you Mac." He took three long, slow, hard strokes. They both exploded in joint ecstasy. She squeezed him tight, he pushed a few more times, they wanted to feel every ounce of each other.

They held each other for a few seconds before they collapsed, side by side, on the pillows. "Wow, Mac," Jo said breathing heavy. "Who knew under that reserved demeanor you were such...,"

"Such a what?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"Such an extraordinary lover!" she said smiling as she kissed him again.

Mac chuckled, "I'm sure it was because of you." He kissed her again and held her close.

"Who knew that your nightmare could make my daydreams come true?" She said, snuggling in close to him as he wrapped his arms tighter around her and they drifted off to sleep.

**And once again, a happy ending! **

**The song doesn't belong to me either...it's Barry Manilow's "Ready to take a Chance Again"...No copywrite intended. It just seemed to fit the story perfectly.  
**


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